Swingset
by grazed fingertips
Summary: Scorpius and Albus fell in love during a long, hot summer when they were little, but after a series of unfortunate incidents everything broke down. They were torn apart and neither of them were the same after. 5 years pass and they're unceremoniously thrown back together on their first day at Hogwarts, and everything just keeps going wrong. / ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue

Scorpius Malfoy was terrified as he stood in the grand hall of Hogwarts castle. He wasn't terrified by the size of it, he wasn't terrified because of his father and grandfathers expectations of him, and he wasn't terrified of the scraggy hat on the stool at the other end of the hall. No. He was terrified of the boy next to him. Or rather, he was terrified of the intensity of the stare that he felt burning into the side of his head, as they stood waiting for their names to be called.

He hadn't done anything to the boy, or not that he knew of. They'd been shoved together by the teacher to walk into the hall as a pair. It was purely coincidental that they'd been the two chosen, and yet the boy was staring at him like he had some sort of personal vendetta against him. He hadn't dared look at him, because if looks could kill he was sure he'd be dead the minute their eyes met. He –

A sharp pinch on the arm had him whirling to look at the boy, train of thought derailed and a hand going to massage the raw flesh.

"Hey!" He hissed, "What was-" But he stopped dead, eyes widening and heart dropping into the pit of his stomach as his gaze connected with the other boys.

"I knew it." The other said after a moment, eyes going from owlish to slanted in a few seconds flat. "I knew it was you." The volume of his voice was rising, and a few students were turning to look at the pair. "I knew the minute I saw that stupid hair of yours. Why? Why'd you have to come back now? This was supposed to be a fresh start and instead you're here, dredging everything up." Scorpius felt his shoulder being shoved but he was too busy staring at the boy to notice. "Hey! Answer me!" He could hear him shouting, and he heard a teachers voice ringing out, but all of it was muted. All of it paled in comparison to the eyes. The emerald orbs brought back feelings he'd once thought long dead. Feelings that wanted to make him both laugh and cry at the same time.

"I've missed you." He heard himself say softly, a light flush staining his cheeks and his chest contracting. He wasn't one for brutally honest confessions like this, he usually hid everything behind the perfect Malfoy facade he'd inherited from his father.

The other boy stopped dead, and Scorpius blinked a few times, everything coming back into focus accompanied by a slight head rush.

"You have?" The other asked just as softly, and Scorpius nodded. A sneer painted the others face as he snarled "Wow. Me too. This much."

The last thing Scorpius Malfoy saw that evening was the fist of Albus Potter as it sped towards his face.

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authors note; i'm looking forward to writing this, and i hope you enjoy reading it. and please please please please please review? c:


	2. Chapter 1

_Laughter. Laughter and the smell of freshly cut grass and the feel of it between your toes, tickling the soles of your feet and making giggles bubble out of your mouth and float with the summer breeze. Daisy's twirling between thumbs and forefingers, spelled dandelion seeds floating through the air, dancing and twirling around your head. Sandcastles and flags and shells and an amazing view of a city you once knew. Vibrant orange sunsets spent on a hill and fingers filling the gaps between yours perfectly. Pearly white teeth and soot black hair, eyes as green as them emeralds your mother wears around her neck. A warmth that filled your chest until it threatened to burst, a happiness that could never be replaced. Your Mother smiling at you as you walked home, telling you that 'that, darling, was love'. You smiling, knowing you'd found something special. Grinning because you'd found Albus and he'd found you, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that._

Scorpius jerked awake, gasping like a fish out of water and sitting up so fast the whole room went black for a second.

"Ah! Hello." A woman said, coming and standing by his bedside. "Nice of you to join us Mister Malfoy."

"How long was I out?" He asked, wincing as she pressed her thumbs into a particularly tender part of his face.

"Since 6pm yesterday." She said, jotting something down. "It's now 7:45am, and you're yet to be sorted."

"I'm getting sorted over breakfast?" He squeaked, fists bunching in the sheets and eyes widening.

"Yes. Now hurry up dear, you're fit to go and you've got to get dressed." She left, yanking the curtain closed behind her and he scrambled out of bed, pulling on the fresh uniform that'd been left on a chair by his bedside.

"Thank you!" He called as he left, hearing a 'your welcome!' echoing behind him as he followed students down a flight of stairs. Soon enough he found himself in the great hall once again, and a teacher was walking up the isle to greet him.

"Hello, Mister Malfoy. How're you feeling?" The teacher was hunched over slightly, smiling down at him kindly.

"Good thank you Sir. The nurse said I was being sorted today over breakfast?" He said quietly, staring down at his shoes.

"Yes, that's right. If you'll follow me." He straightened, leading the small boy up to the hat that was in the exact same spot as it'd been last night. A hush descended over the hall as the pale, almost albino looking child climbed the steps. He settled himself on the three-legged stool, and felt the hat being placed on his head.

"Aha!" The voice in his ear made him jump. "A Malfoy. My oh my, usually it's so obvious which house you'd be in. I could practically smell the Slytherin on your father and grandfather, and your great-grandfather for that matter. But you, you're different. You've been _tainted_ by something, or someone." The boy gulped. "Oh, my dear boy, that's a good thing. You've been touched by someone who's changed you. Surprisingly enough they're here, in this very school too."

"Albus." The boy whispered, flushing slightly.

"Yes. Albus Potter. It's funny, Scorpius, you changed him too."

"Really?"

"Indeed. And it mightn't have been for the better."

It was like ice had been poured down the back of Scorpius's finely pressed dress shirt.

"I changed him?" He thought, as the hat yelled _'Slytherin'_. "For the worse?" He stood, removed the hat, and walked over to his new table in a daze. "Have I hurt him?".

"Hallo!" A girl crowed, sliding into the seat opposite, head girl badge shining at him. "Welcome to Slytherin, Scorpius! It's wonderful to have you with us."

"Hey Hailey." He managed weakly.

"I'll show you around later, okay? 'Cause you weren't with us last night you don't know where the common room is or anything. I'll meet you outside your last lesson and take you there myself, unless you want to come down with other first years?" She asked, and he merely shrugged in response. "Hey, don't let what happened last night faze you, okay? Sure it's slightly awkward that he's in Slytherin too but-"

"He's what?" He asked, head snapping up and any haze that'd been lingering over his head lifting.

"Albus. He's in Slytherin too." She said, "The silence after the hat sorted him was amazing, I'm not even kidding…. he took it like a man though, bless him. Even smirked a little at his brother," she jerked a thumb towards the Gryffindor table. "And then joined us and started shaking hands like nothing strange had happened at all. He's a really nice kid, minus the punching you in the face part. Why'd he do that, anyway?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled, feeling an uncomfortable churn in his stomach at the thought. "D'you have my timetable?"

"Oh! Yeah. Here." She produced a piece of parchment and handed it over. "Just follow the other Slytherin first years and you'll be fine." She grinned at him. "I gotta go, Divination's such a trek. I'll see you later though Scorp!" She ruffled his hair affectionately as she stood and grabbed her bag. "Be good!" She called over her shoulder, causing a few students to turn and look at him. He simply flushed, ducking his head and prodding the food on his plate dejectedly.

Soon enough the plates started disappearing one by one, and the flow of students leaving the hall increased. Scorpius sighed, grabbing his bag and following the chattering first years from his own table out and up a flight of stairs, then another and another, until they finally reached a classroom with a small man standing on a stack of books inside. Students took their seats, and Scorpius found himself alone at the side, staring around looking for an empty space.

"There's an empty table over there, Mister Malfoy." The professor said, gesturing to the far corner.

"Thank you." He mumbled, walking over and taking his seat, grabbing his wand and parchment and ink.

The lesson promptly started, and the teacher, Professor Hardman, explained the syllabus before going into their first spell. About 10 minutes in, the door burst open and a panting, red-faced Albus Potter stood there.

"Sorry sir." He gasped, leaning against the doorframe. "Emergency at home."

"It's fine, Mister Potter, just don't be late again. Take your seat. There's a space in the corner."

It was only when Scorpius mulled this sentence over that he realized said space was next to him. Apparently Albus only realized that when he was a few feet away from him. He stopped dead, staring at the blonde boy who was practically glued to the wall in an attempt to make space between them.

"Is there a problem Mister Potter?" Professor Hardman asked, and Albus shook his head, jerkily moving to sit down.

"Don't cower. It's unbecoming of you, Malfoy." He muttered as he pulled parchment and ink from his bag, finally setting his wand down on top of it and staring at the teacher.

Scorpius's retort died on his lips when he heard his last name spat with what could only be described disgust. What left his mouth instead was a choking sound that had Albus turning to look at him with what just might've been concern. He didn't stay long enough to figure it out. He clamped a hand over his mouth and stood, rushing from the room, the teacher and his belongings forgotten. The hand stayed over his mouth until he located a bathroom and was locked securely in a stall. Only then did he remove it, letting the choked sob free.

It was okay to cry when you'd lost something important, right? It was okay to cry when it felt like something had been ripped from your chest, leaving only raw numbness in its wake, wasn't it? It was okay to cry when it felt like part of your childhood had been stolen from you, he was certain of it. The physical pain in his chest assured him of the fact, and as the tears escaped he was certain that the pain wasn't going to go away any time soon. It'd been there for 5 long years, dull and aching, and the harsh use of his last name had brought it back in full force like it was the last day of summer and he was 6 years old all over again.

_"He's not here, Scorpius. I'm sorry." His Father said, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_"But… But he's always here, Daddy. He has to be here." Small hands clutched the paper bag that contained gift he'd got for Albus. He had to give it to him. He'd promised. They'd both promised, actually, that they'd meet in the park for the last day of summer. And anyway, Scorpius had to tell Albus that he was moving away to live in the countryside, and that they'd have to organize when they'd meet through their Daddies. "I have to say goodbye and tell him that we're moving." He felt his lip trembling and his eyes well up with tears._

_"Scorpius it's okay. I know Albus's father remember? I'll write him a letter to let him know where we're moving so you can still see each other." His father took his hand and started to lead him away from the park._

_"Wait! I'll leave him this where we always meet, just incase he does come later." Scorpius tugged his hand out of his Daddy's and ran to the worn patch of grass on the hill. He dug a little dent in the earth, and put the small bag in it, drawing a wobbly 'A' underneath it, and a smaller 'S' underneath that. Albus would know what it meant. He was the cleverest boy that Scorpius had ever met. The only one that really understood what he was talking about. That, and Scorpius loved Albus, so it was almost guaranteed he'd understand. Mummy had explained that the feeling Scorpius got when he was around Albus was loved, and Albus had said he felt the same thing so it must mean that he loved him back._

_He smiled at the small site, happy with his work, before running back to his Daddy and taking his hand, starting the walk back to their house where Mummy would be waiting so they could floo to the big, new house together._

_It hadn't been too sad, not seeing Albus at the park, because he knew his Daddy could send an owl to Albus's Daddy, and he was sure that Albus would've got the present he left him in the park. But what did make him sad was when Daddy told him at breakfast that he'd sent an owl to Albus's Daddy and the owl had come back with the letter still in its beak._

_"Does that mean that… that Al won't know I've moved? And that we won't see each other at the park anymore?" He asked, grey eyes welling up as he stared at his Daddy._

_"I'm afraid so, son."_

_"But he'll think that I've ab… aba… left him!" He wailed, a horrible sinking feeling in his chest. "He'll think that we're not friends anymore! And that… that…" He stood, running to his new room as fast as his six-year-old legs could carry him. He threw himself onto his bed, burying his head in his pillow and crying into it for a good 10 minutes before he felt the dip of the mattress as someone sat next to him._

_"Scorpius, it'll be okay." The soothing voice of his Mummy calmed him down, but only by a fraction._

_"It's not Mummy, it's not!" He sat up, eyes red rimmed and voice raw. "He'll think I don't love him anymore!"_

_Mummy stared at him, a sad softness in her eyes. She opened her arms and Scorpius curled up against her letting his sobs subside into small sniffles._

_"Scorpius, you left him his present didn't you? Daddy told me that you refused to leave before you did." He nodded. "Albus will know where to find it, and he'll know that you love him because you've left it there."_

_"You promise?" He sniffed, voice tired and eyes drooping._

_She swallowed, knowing that in reality she couldn't promise something like that. Not really. But her heart betrayed her before her mind could make her see sense. "I promise." She whispered, fingers stroking through his hair._

11-year-old Scorpius sat curled up on the floor of a bathroom stall, clutching the ring that hung around his neck, an exact duplicate of the one he'd left Albus 5 years ago. Now that he was older, he could see that his mother hadn't really wanted to say that. That she only said so to comfort the crying child in her arms, and to soothe him to sleep. He stood, dusting himself off and emerging from the stall. He washed his face, and removed as much of the redness from his eyes as he could, but even then the dumbest of children could look at him and tell that he'd been crying. He took a deep breath and started back towards the classroom. It was going to be awkward, walking back in there after leaving so abruptly. He supposed he could pass it off as feeling sick, something to do with the fact he'd been punched in the face the previous afternoon. _Yes_, he decided. _That would be what he told the professor_.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Luckily the class was busy practicing spells, so no one really noticed him reentering the classroom. He approached the desk cautiously, wringing his hands and his eyes downcast.

"Excuse me sir." He said, his voice croaking slightly.

"Mister Malfoy. Are you all right? I was about to ask a student to go and find you."

"I'm sorry sir, I think nausea might be a side affect of the pain potion Matron gave me last night."

He nodded, smiling lightly. "Of course. Take a seat and have Mister Potter fill you in on what we're doing. No points will be taken from Slytherin."

He nodded, and made his way back to his table, ducking and weaving around levitating paper creations before finally edging past Albus and taking his seat.

"Are, um, are you alright?" Albus asked after filling Scorpius in on what they were supposed to be doing. Scorpius nodded once, reading over the spell in his head. "It's just you didn't look too good when you left, and you still don't look good now."

"I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact you punched me in the face last night." Scorpius said, surprising himself.

"That was only because I was shocked to see you. I'm sorry." Scorpius ignored him. "I said I'm sorry, okay?" Albus said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Scorpius turned quickly, bashing his hand away.

"Don't touch me." He spat, something foreign humming through his veins.

"Well I'm sorry for trying to apologize." Albus snarled back. "I wanted to try and fix this, but evidently you don't want to. Sorry for thinking you might've wanted to be friends again too." He turned back to his work, and with a flick of his wrist and a muttered spell, his paper swan was soaring through the air as if it were the real thing. He heard something he was sure was praise coming from the teacher at the front of the classroom, but he didn't really care.

Scorpius stared at the boy beside him, his expression dark yet unreadable. He realized that what the Sorting Hat had said was indeed true. He **had** changed Albus Potter, and it wasn't for the better.

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**_authors note; _**_reviews would be very much appreciated. 5 reviews before the new chapter please!_


	3. Chapter 2

The lesson passed without further incidents. He made no effort to talk to Albus, and Albus made no effort to talk to him. The only thing that happened connecting them to each other was the small review they had to write on how the other had done when performing the spell to keep in a logbook of sorts, as they'd be partnered together for the rest of the year. The thought made Scorpius feel slightly sick. They were given 5 minutes to write the review before they were excused for the next lesson, and Scorpius intended to make the review concise and accurate.

_Lesson 1_

_Albus excels at charms, there's no other way to put it. He appears to have perfected the spell on his first attempt, and with every use of it the effect on the ornate swan is stronger and more controlled. His wrist movements are perfect; an exact imitation of the diagram in the textbook, and his pronunciation is just as exact. He has indeed mastered this spell._

Scorpius read over his entry, flushing slightly at the blatant adoration of his Charms partner.

"D'you want to read what I've written?" Albus asked monotonously as the rest of the class proceeded to switch notebooks.

"I'm not particularly bothered." Scorpius replied.

Albus sighed. "Well… can I read what you've written?" He asked, glancing at the blonde as he capped his ink and placed it carefully in his satchel.

Scorpius felt the pink tinge appear on his cheeks again, "S-sure?"

Albus grinned, a stark contrast to the mood he appeared to have been in all lesson, and the reaction caused a slight pinch in Scorpius's chest and a wave of nostalgia to crash over him.

"Thanks." Albus said, sliding his notebook in front of the boy and taking his to read.

Scorpius merely nodded, ducking his head to read what the other had written about him

**_Lesson One._**

_I'd been worried that I wouldn't do as well in this class as I'd hoped by being paired with him, but Scorpius is as good at charms as I am. He got the spell right straight away and it's like he doesn't even need to try. He's a natural. Everything was perfect and there's no room for improvement. The strength of the spell will probably grow with practice and the development of his actual magical potential._

"Thanks." Scorpius said smiling slightly and sliding the notebook back to Albus. "You done reading mine?"

"You're so formal when you write." He grinned. "But yeah, thanks for all of that. Charms is one of my favorite subjects so it's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks I'm actually good at it."

Scorpius blinked at him. "Really? It's your favorite?" He nodded. "Mine too."

"Why so surprised?" Albus asked.

"Dunno. Just thought you'd be into the less 'nerdy' subjects like flying of DADA."

"Why'd you say that? Because James likes them? Because my Dad did?" He's angry, Scorpius can tell. His fists are clenched on the tabletop and he's staring at Scorpius like he wants to lunge at him.

"No? How would I know what your brother and your Dad liked in school? I wasn't brought up in a Potter adoring household like the rest of Wizarding Britain. You just seem like you'd be into the cooler subjects." He shrugged, stuffing the notebook back in his bag and stood with the rest of the class. "If it annoys you so much I won't speak to you again. Sorry."

He slid past the seated boy and started making his way to the next lesson, following the crowd of green tied students.

"Hey!" He turned slightly, ignoring the way his heart leapt at the sight of Albus running after him. "It doesn't annoy me. You speaking to me I mean. Well, it does but that's not what I'm talking about right now. It's the comparing to my brother and my dad that annoys me. So it's not you. Well part of it's you. But that wasn't you." He shook his head slightly and started to walk ahead.

"Wait!" Before Scorpius could stop himself he'd grabbed the boys wrist and was holding him back. "Why does me talking to you annoy you and why'd you punch me yesterday?"

Albus stared at him for a few seconds. "Are you serious?" His voice, dangerously low, sent chills down Scorpius's spine as he nodded. "You… You _broke me_. You ruined me, changed me for life. Isn't it obvious? You didn't show up like you promised. You walked away and you expect me to just _forgive you _when you turn up five years later? You leave me a stinking ring" he yanks at the chain around his neck, revealing the ring "as a goodbye instead, and never contact me again and-"

"Hang on. I waited for you. I waited a whole hour and a half. You're the one who didn't show up. I left you that as a present, not a goodbye. And when my father tried to send your father a letter that night it got sent straight back. That's not my fault. I cried myself to sleep for weeks after that!"

"Of course you did. And such a fabulous present it is, _oh I'm going to leave you a ring to make up for the fact I broke your heart_! Brilliant plan. And that's bullshit, because my dad sent **_yours_** a letter, and he had the owl sent back straight away as well! And you're not the only one!"

"No! I left it for you because I thought…" He clutched at his own ring. "I thought you'd understand."

"Understand what, Scorpius?" Albus said, impatience ringing out in every word.

"That I was in love with you, and that it wouldn't change. Ever." Scorpius whispered. "But evidently… evidently you didn't get that. And now you hate me, so." He tugged the chain off, wincing as it snapped against his skin. "I'll stay away from you from now on. I… I'm sorry. I guess I thought that if we ever did meet again we would be to fix this. I never did stop, though. Loving you I mean." Tears had pooled in his eyes when he finally looks up at Albus. The other boys face was pale and his eyes were wide as he stared at him. Scorpius sniffed, smiling a little as he handed the boy his ring. "Thank you, though. You made part of my childhood magical and I'll never forget that summer. I'll… I'll try not to see you around." He turned on his heel, walking back towards the Slytherin common room.

Albus doesn't call him back. Scorpius wasn't even sure if he'd moved. But he didn't come running after him, so he let the tears fall and scrubbed at his face. He'd just lost a part of himself for good. He was allowed to cry for that.

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**authors note;** ouch. right in the feels. i hope you enjoyed, please review and track and, maybe, favourite. if you like it, of course. :3


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